Sexual harassement in academia: are there any Weinsteins or Cosby's among us?

Economist96cb

What happens when you are a senior harassed daily by a young non-tenured very attractive female colleague? I am not trolling. This is happening to me right now. And, believe me, the prospect of being seen as the harasser, for whatever reason, freaks me out.

Can someone articulate the difference between a standard come-on and sexual harassment? I hear about people hooking up at conferences all the time. Is it automatically harassment if the male is older or has higher stature in the profession?

Yes: these men abuse their position of power to extort sexual favors. That should not be the case in "a standard come-on". If it is, get yourself checked in to a mental hospital fast.

You should report her immediately to your department chair. Most likely she will say it was you and they will believe her. But you have a fighting chance if you come forward first. If you don't she will eventually come forward and you are toast.

What happens when you are a senior harassed daily by a young non-tenured very attractive female colleague? I am not trolling. This is happening to me right now. And, believe me, the prospect of being seen as the harasser, for whatever reason, freaks me out.

You should report her immediately to your department chair. Most likely she will say it was you and they will believe her. But you have a fighting chance if you come forward first. If you don't she will eventually come forward and you are toast.

What happens when you are a senior harassed daily by a young non-tenured very attractive female colleague? I am not trolling. This is happening to me right now. And, believe me, the prospect of being seen as the harasser, for whatever reason, freaks me out.

I was in this situation where a junior woman was talking dirty to me. I made the mistake of not outrightly rejecting her advances. Once I showed mild annoyance with her behaviour, she accused me of harassing her.

Same problem here. Young female AP hitting on me to get above the tenure line. Complained to department chair and we put everything on record. Young AP never harassed me again and eventually turned down for tenure.

Ok, so the rule is you can only sleep with people at exactly the same academic level as you. (because obviously if a more senior woman sleeps with a more junior man that's also harassment). Oh man, you millenials and gen-z's are sick in the head.

I was, in fact, replying to the first question in that post: the difference between a "standard come-on" and sexual harassment. But don't let that stop you ridiculing real concerns over sexual harassment (and millennials and gen-z'ers) in the name of sexual freedom.

Thing about Weinstein was that numerous women had complained about him in the past. There were already lawsuits and settlements, everybody knew about it ... and only now does he get fired, wife leaves him, etc.

Thing about Weinstein was that numerous women had complained about him in the past. There were already lawsuits and settlements, everybody knew about it ... and only now does he get fired, wife leaves him, etc.

Yeah and Matt Damon and George Clooney worked on dozens of films with him and "didn't see anything like this."

Thing about Weinstein was that numerous women had complained about him in the past. There were already lawsuits and settlements, everybody knew about it ... and only now does he get fired, wife leaves him, etc.

Thing about Weinstein was that numerous women had complained about him in the past. There were already lawsuits and settlements, everybody knew about it ... and only now does he get fired, wife leaves him, etc.

Same MO as the predators in the Catholic Church. They get the position of power and respectability, begin their hunt, and then use their influence to cover it up or force people to accept it.

Whatever the organization, there are those monsters seeking to use it to devour the vulnerable. This where the folklore of vampires and werewolves comes from. Those monsters that hide in plain site.

There are absolutely people who offer/threaten professional consequences when demanding sex. When a very close friend was on the market, a very senior and powerful person offered her a flyout if she went to bed with him. (She told me she declined. Her job market turned out fine.)
I am sure she is not the only one. As with Cosby and Weinstein, there will be a turning point where suddenly all the victims and targets come forward with their stories in rapid succession.

Think about all the men who lose out on jobs to the women who do sleep with the seniors

Ah, yes -- the negative externality of people being raped.

where the hell is the rape in women sleeping with men to advance their careers?

There's an 'open secret' at my previous institution of a creeper prof with tenure who picks one or two female first-year students to latch onto. Usually targets shy, foreign students. We were warned by the 2nd year class about him after surviving Math Camp.

Thing about Weinstein was that numerous women had complained about him in the past. There were already lawsuits and settlements, everybody knew about it ... and only now does he get fired, wife leaves him, etc.

Isn't the media supposed to report on this? Well, he controlled the media. What? That's not actually possible, no one can control the media? Well, consider this an existence proof. Yes, there exists a man who controlled the media. Think about it...

Thing about Weinstein was that numerous women had complained about him in the past. There were already lawsuits and settlements, everybody knew about it ... and only now does he get fired, wife leaves him, etc.

Isn't the media supposed to report on this? Well, he controlled the media. What? That's not actually possible, no one can control the media? Well, consider this an existence proof. Yes, there exists a man who controlled the media. Think about it...

Thing about Weinstein was that numerous women had complained about him in the past. There were already lawsuits and settlements, everybody knew about it ... and only now does he get fired, wife leaves him, etc.

Isn't the media supposed to report on this? Well, he controlled the media. What? That's not actually possible, no one can control the media? Well, consider this an existence proof. Yes, there exists a man who controlled the media. Think about it...

By your logic, Trump also controlled the media.

The media threw everything they had at Trump. They timed the Access Hollywood tape perfectly. But there were no recordings of Trump groping a woman (metaphorical bragging doesn't count). No actresses saying that Trump exposed himself or jacked off in front of them. No comparison, HW >> DJT.

My program had a line with a Chinese school that would send a grad student or two over every year. 100% female, and there were definitely rumors of impropriety regarding the senior male professor/chair who managed this line and some of the women he had imported.